At the invitation of the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, the Cameroon National Shippers' Council (CNSC) took part as an exhibitor and expert in the 7^th edition of the National SME Days organised from 12 to 13 December 2023 in Yaoundé. The event, which was chaired by Mr. Achille Basilekin III, took place at the Yaoundé Conference Centre under the theme: "SME Development and value chain promotion: what opportunities for the implementation of the import-substitution policy?

The 2023 edition of the National SME Days focused on finding efficient strategies for the successful promotion of value chains in three sub-sectors: agro-industry, timber and cotton/textile/leather. The event sought to rally as many SMEs as possible around the development objectives of these sectors, with a view to translating the national import-substitution policy into concrete achievements which will eventually guarantee the prosperity of Cameroon's economy.

Besides the exhibition fair, where the CNSC stand caught the interest of many visitors, conference talks were also organised. Mr Owono Bob Philippe Olivier, CNSC Centre Regional Branch Manager and expert at the conference, highlighted the vital role information plays in the deployment of the CNSC through the construction of infrastructures, the development of trade tools and the implementation of actions aimed at improving the productivity and competitiveness of shippers and business persons. The selected theme of the trade fair aligns perfectly with the implementation of AfCFTA, focusing on the development of value chains.